The 8th annual Catalina Film Festival (CFF) wrapped with awards issued in 14 film categories – selected from 100 films in competition from 67 countries – screened at venues throughout the famed Catalina Island as well as new sister-city-by-the-sea, Long Beach. The annual film festival also featured career tributes, as well as industry panels, workshops and Lion's Den pitch session as part of the festival's Film & New Media Summit.

CAREER TRIBUTE AWARDS INCLUDED:

  • Stanley Kramer Social Artist Award: Academy Award®-winning actor and civics activist, Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, The Goodbye Girl, Mr. Holland's Opus), for his work with The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative

  • Mack Sennett "King of Comedy" Award: Actor and comedian, Kevin Hart (Night School, Ride Along)

  • Humanitarian Award: Actors, filmmakers and activists, Rosie Perez (White Men Can't Jump; Untamed Heart) and Ramon Rodriguez (The Affair; The Wire), for their work with the film "Pa'lante," to help rebuild Puerto Rico

  • Avalon Award: Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter, actress and Broadway star, Ashanti (Coach Carter; Resident Evil: Extinction)

  • Catalina Spotlight Award: Feature film and television actor and comedian, Rob Riggle (Night School, The Hangover, Step Brothers - "The F*&%$#G Catalina Wine Mixer")

Also in attendance were Justine Bateman (Satisfaction, Family Ties) with her short film, Five Minutes; London Brown (HBO's Ballers, The Hustle); Rachel Hendrix (October Baby) with the feature film Virginia Minnesota; Kaitlyn Black (Hart of Dixie); Chris Mulkey (Whiplash) with the feature film, Make Love Great Again; Dana Sparks (Passions); Jim Meskimen (How the Grinch Stole Christmas) with his short film, Son to Son; and Rob Belushi with his short thriller, Dylan.

FESTIVAL AWARDS INCLUDED:

  • Best of Fest – U.S Feature – Bullitt County

  • Best of Fest – International Feature Film – Love Possibly

  • Best of Fest – Documentary Film (Worldwide) – Love Always, Mom

  • Best of Fest – Conservation Film – Shadow of a Drought: Southern California's Looming Water Crisis

  • Best of Fest –  Wes Craven Horror/Thriller – My First Time

  • Festival Treasure Award – Sam Did It

  • Best of Fest – Screenplay – The Hardest Hit

  • Best of Fest – International Short Film – Secret Sweets

  • Best of Fest – US Short Film – An Act of Terror

  • Best of Fest – High School Student Film – Love Letter

  • Best of Fest –  Advanced Student Film (Worldwide) – Akeda (The Binding)

  • Best of Fest – Animation Short Film (Worldwide) – Two Balloons

  • 2018 CFF Judges Pick – Make Love Great Again

For a full list of awards, visit www.catalinafilm.org.

About Catalina Film Festival
Catalina Film Festival is an annual celebration of film in Southern California and on Hollywood's island just 22 miles off the Los Angeles coast. Sponsors include IEX Helicopters, Catalina Candle, Catalina Express, Island Spa Catalina, Tony's Limo, Catalina Flyer, BIG, Sprint and The Cafaro Group. Past CFF honorees include Nicolas Cage, William H. Macy, Andy Garcia, Sharon Stone, Jon Favreau, Emmy Rossum, F. Gary Gray, Stan Lee and more. Follow @CatalinaFilm, #CatalinaFilm  www.catalinafilm.org. For more info, visit www.CatalinaFilm.org.